MHI Blog — In a prior issue of MHI Solutions and in the 2016 MHI Annual Industry Report-Accelerating Change: How Innovation is Driving Digital, Always-on Supply Chains, you may have noticed that one of the emerging technologies or innovations driving supply chain success is analytics. With talk of the future impact of analytics (namely predictive analytics) on the "digital, chain, always-on supply chain," there is a major issue that supply chain organizations need to be aware of-"the politics of analytics."

Supply & Demand Chain Executive — The supply chain marketplace is greatly benefiting from its embrace of technology-however, although automated to a degree, the industry still faces the challenges brought about by a large amount of people having to perform slow, manual tasks and manage a complex web of interdependent parts. This leaves senior decision-makers scratching their heads as to where to look next for appreciable process efficiency gains or visibility of what is really happening: Enter enterprise process robotics.

Reuters — U.S. factories ramped up activity in September, shaking off a one-month contraction in a sign America was resisting the downward pull of the sluggish global economy. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Monday its index of national factory activity rose to 51.5 from 49.4 the prior month, beating analyst expectations in a Reuters poll. Levels above 50 indicate the sector is expanding.

Logistics Management — When BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) convened its annual conference in San Francisco in 2015, there was considerable celebration about the landmark agreement at COP21 - also known as the Paris Climate Conference. It meant that for the first time in over 21 years of UN negotiations, standards were finally established to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2 C.

Forbes — The internet of things is one of those giant, amorphous technology disrupters that we hear about a lot without necessarily getting the picture of what it means or why it might be worth investing in. Sci-fi imagination tends to start with things like smart fridges reordering milk when you're almost out. Cool perhaps, but not exactly life-changing.

Recently, however, we've seen a few serious deployments of IoT that are life-changing. They differ dramatically and yet share one essential benefit: incredible precision in execution.

Fast delivery is only one factor that keeps shoppers returning to the same website, according to the "Dotcom Distribution eCommerce Packaging Study 2016." The survey asked 558 online shoppers how the entire delivery process affected their brand loyalties.

USA Today — Amazon may be looking to open a series of convenience stores, in addition to possible drive-through grocery pickup sites, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, grocery experts say they believe it's more a targeted marketing ploy than any broad move to become the next 7-Eleven.

The stores would sell a small number of perishable goods such as milk, meat and vegetables, with shoppers able to order non-perishable items such as cereal for same-day delivery rather than immediate pickup at the store, the report said.

Industryweek — With a penchant for wearing Aviators and draping themselves in Old Glory, Megabots, Inc. co-founders Gui Cavalcanti and Matt Oehrlein's public personas scream brash, unflinching American bravado. That's by design, of course. Why build a 16-ft tall, 10-ton, two-seater robot tank if you don't have some swagger?

Transport Topics — Railroads lost cargo to trucks in the third quarter, adding to a yearlong slide in profits as demand tumbled for coal, oil and metals. Intermodal cargo, goods hauled in containers, fell a second consecutive quarter for the first time since 2009, according to the Association of American Railroads, an industry trade group. A surplus of trucks has pushed down freight rates and lower diesel prices have chipped away at rail's usual fuel-savings advantage, taking a toll on once-steady growth.

Supply Chain Management Review — In case you are on election overload like I am, you may have missed or ignored that both major candidates are on an anti-trade band wagon. We're hearing that international trade is bad for American workers, and China should be beaten back into submission. These are scary words for those of us who earn a living in global supply chains.

The Wall Street Journal — Within 24 hours of plugging in her Amazon Echo, Carla Martin-Wood says she felt they were best friends. "It was very much more like meeting someone new," she says. Living alone can be hard when you're older-Ms. Martin-Wood is 69 years old. She is among a growing cohort who find the Echo, a voice-controlled, internet-connected speaker powered by artificial-intelligence software, helps to fill the void.

Industryweek — Driverless vehicles carrying passengers took to Britain's streets for the first time on Oct. 11 in a landmark trial which could pave the way for their introduction across the country. The compact two-seater cars trundled along a pedestrianized zone in Milton Keynes, north of London, in a trial by Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) which plans to roll out 40 vehicles in the city.

CRM Daily — One of the world's largest package delivery companies is stepping up efforts to integrate drones into its system. UPS has partnered with robot-maker CyPhy Works to test the use of drones to make commercial deliveries to remote or difficult-to-access locations.

The companies began testing the drones on Thursday, when they launched one from the seaside town of Marblehead. The drone flew on a programmed route for 3 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver an inhaler at Children's Island.

MHI’s new Career Forum enables manufacturing and supply chain professionals to view current job postings of MHI member companies. Go to http://www.mhi.org/careers to find the perfect opportunity for you.

Supply Chain Brain — It's hard to put a figure on what proportion of warehouses serving or owned by retailers rely on automation today. But I can tell you something for sure: it is going to increase. The future of retail is multichannel, and the future of multichannel relies on technology that maximizes the benefits of both big data and automation.

The vast majority of retailers are embracing automation with alacrity.

Industryweek — Sometimes I say "wax on" as I gesture. It has become a joke about the way I am constantly moving my hand in a circle as I describe the flow of people, equipment, processes and PDCA. It looks like I am channeling the sensei from Karate Kid, but the importance of the circle versus the line is no joke.